You’d be forgiven for glancing at this shoe and thinking it’s not a performance trainer. But, Under Armour has packed a slew of running tech into this shoe—some visibly called out and others under the hood, like a built-in tracking chip. Let’s take a look.

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First and most obvious are the cutout windows in the midsole that show off the brand’s Hovr cushioning system. It’s an attempt at the high energy return foams that are all the rage right now. UA has called that out, much like what Nike did in the early days of Air it should be fairly noted, with gaps on the side and a chunk of the foam poking out the back. The cue is definitely that this shoe delivers soft cushioning.

Attached to that is an eye-catching, high-cut bootie upper that comes in a variety of fun colors. Many brands have tried this lately—Adidas, Nike, and others. Under Armour’s execution is comfortably stretchy and well-crafted, which makes sense given the company’s strong background in athletic apparel. “The majority of the shoe is a sock-like material which is very elastic,” one tester assessed, “but it remained very snug for the entire time of testing.”

The Under Armour Hovr Phantom CT uses a soft and responsive foam embedded in the midsole (women’s shown).

Trevor Raab

Hovr Cushioning for Long Runs

Encased in the more durable foam midsole is a more delicate yet bouncy material that Under Armour dubs Hovr. It’s a unique compound developed with Dow, made from Olefin. The properties of this material are that it’s exceptionally soft and squishy, but can bounce back when compressed. To do so, however, Under Armour had to wrap the foam in a mesh net that resists stretching. (When you compress the foam, the netting holds its shape and limits how much it can expand to help it bounce back.) The result is a softer, livelier feeling than we’ve seen in previous Under Armour shoes.

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“I also own a pair of the Under Armour Hovr Sonic,” said one tester, “and these Phantoms feel a little bit more cushioned and softer underfoot than the Hovr Sonics.” But they’re not too soft, she assessed. “Being used to Hokas and the softer New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon, I thought these might feel too hard underfoot. They were a little firm, but they felt good. And the faster you run, the more energy return you can feel.”

Boosting comfort is an extremely soft sock liner that’s attached to the footbed (it’s not removable like many other models). That’s more for step-in comfort—you sense the softness as soon as you put the shoe on your foot.

A sensor built-in to the midsole tracks your every step (men’s shown).

Trevor Raab

Built-In Run Tracking

The CT designation in Under Armour shoes indicates the shoe’s connected technology. The Phantom has that option, where a sensor is built into the midsole. Our testers didn’t notice the sensor but found it easy to connect with a smartphone to share run data to Under Armour’s online platform May My Run. The application can track running metrics like speed, distance, cadence, and stride length.

The stretchy knit toe box allows your toes to spread out with every stride.

Trevor Raab

A Stretchy Knit Upper

The bootie-style knit upper is eye-catching, but also comfortable as it cradles your foot. The forefoot is especially stretchy over the toes, but the shoe gets a more secure fit through the midfoot thanks to a 3D-molded construction. Testers liked the ghillies lacing system, including an eyelet that’s offset near the ankle to help lock the heel in place when you yank the laces snug.

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